Alan Charles Wilson

Alan Wilson, October 4, 1963 - August 5, 2023. Our brother, son, uncle, cousin, and dear friend, left us far too soon... just two months before his 60th birthday. Our planet has lost a spark of light.

After giving pancreatic cancer the fight of his life for two and a half years, Alan passed away peacefully at home with family at his side. From his diagnosis until his recent rapid decline, he got up every morning looking forward to the morning light, a cup of coffee, and sitting down to make a plan for the day. One of his favorite phrases was "Rise and shine, we're burning daylight!" He lived with a daily determination to maximize his time and strengthen his ties. He kept his positive spirit and humor going until the end.

With family and friends, he checked things off his bucket list... he saw the whales in Alaska, visited the Napali coast in Hawaii, got back up to Mt. Hood to hike his favorite trails, traveled in Utah with old college buddies, took the Coast Starlight train back to his college town, visited his best friend in Arizona, took several trips to the Oregon coast in all seasons, and returned to the Yucatan, his favorite place in Mexico. And he got to meet his adorable baby grandniece.

Alan loved many things... aspens, dahlias, and broccolini, his beloved dogs, Rochia and Scrappi, kids - his nieces, nephew, and grandniece in particular - martial arts, backpacking, kayaking, traveling, woodworking, gardening, putzing around his house, building, fixing and tweaking things, for himself and others. Best of all, he loved turning otherwise serious moments into ones that brought a smile. He made people laugh - family, friends, co-workers, patients, and strangers he encountered wherever he went. We could always rely on Alan to tell us a funny story, especially when we needed a lift. Or greet us on the phone in one of his silly, disguised voices. He was the patient, fun, goofy uncle to his two nieces and nephew, letting his little nieces play with his hair, dressing up with all of them on Halloween, teaching them taekwondo kicks, and always playing little pranks on them when he came to visit.

Alan became a gymnast at Grant High School, which deepened his love for physical fitness and guided him toward his college degree in exercise physiology. He spent time learning cabinet-making from his oldest cousin, Jim, who took Alan under his wing. Woodworking became a lifelong love and their bond remained. His first adventure away from home began after he graduated from high school and moved to California. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he moved to LA for his first job in cardiac rehab, which became his lifelong career. Soon after, he moved to Phoenix for a better job and a new adventure. He also began serious training in taekwondo and eventually got his Black Belt. He loved his practice and even turned a room in his house into a studio to teach kids.

While in Arizona and still working, he went back to school and got a degree in graphic design at ASU. Alan loved art and design... he drew amazing childhood pictures of his favorite things, like cheetahs. Although he didn't end up changing careers, he always enjoyed creative projects on the side. He eventually moved back to Portland to escape the heat and get back to the NW and his family. He settled in Vancouver WA, continuing to work as a cardiac rehab therapist at various hospitals through the years. Alan dedicated himself to helping countless people regain their health after their heart issues. That job also gave him lifelong friendships with co-workers and many hilarious stories about his endearing and colorful patients.

Alan's last job came about at the beginning of the pandemic when his department was closed. He and other brave healthcare workers moved over to the first drive-through Covid testing site for Providence Portland, starting out with a shortage of personal protective equipment. But he and his co-workers made it a fun job, joking throughout the day with each other and the fearful people driving through for their first covid test. They made it their goal to make people laugh and drive away with a smile.

Alan leaves behind his mother, Joyce Wilson, his brother and sisters, Kent Wilson, Colleen Richardson, and Andrea Sweet, his sister and brothers-in-law, Pam Wilson, Kip Richardson, and Dan Sweet, his nieces and nephew, Danya Fredette (Andrew), Aliza and Eliot Richardson (Riley), his grandniece Atlas Fredette, his cousin Gregg Wilson who has been like a brother, as well as his aunt and cousins, some who were a big part of his early childhood and others his whole life. And he leaves his very dear and loyal friends. He is predeceased by his father, Chuck Wilson.

We are very grateful to his nurses at Eden Hospice who supported him and us through his final months... we couldn't have taken care of him so well without them. There will be no formal memorial service; his family will be gathering for a celebration of his life. Donations would be gratefully accepted in his honor at any of the organizations he supported: the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, The Oregon or Washington Humane Society, or Central City Concern.